Week Three College Football Preview

By Matt Hetzler 9/14/16

Week 3 is here and it is jam packed with great matchups. Week 3 features the first matchup between top ten teams (FSU/L’ville). Ohio St travels to Norman to face the Sooners. Alabama looks to beat Ole Miss for the first time in 3 seasons. Miami visits Appalachian State and the Pac-12 has a marquee matchup with USC visiting Stanford. These are just a few of the big time games in week 3. Below are 15 games that are on my slate of games to watch. Tyler (Mr. Arena Fanatic) and I will give our predictions for each game. Here we go!Thursday:6 Houston (-6) @ CincinnatiThis game kicks the weekend off and it’s going to be a great one. After a sloppy week 1 performance the Bearcats played great on the road against Purdue last weekend. Houston took care of business against Lamar. Greg Ward Jr. should be suiting up this week and he will be a difference maker for Houston. Cincy has an improved defense and the passing is always potent. This is going to be a high scoring game and should set the tone for a great weekend in CFB. Tyler’s pick: Houston 33-20Matt’s pick: Houston 35-30Saturday:Western Michigan (-3) @ Illinois Western Michigan is off to a 2-0 start and are road favorites against Illinois Saturday. The Broncos have one of the best balanced offenses in the country. Terrell to Davis is a deadly connection and the running game is solid with Bogan and Franklin. Illinois gave up 48 points to UNC last weekend. The offense should have a better day against a smaller Broncos D. I went Illinois that week but this weekend I’m rolling behind a hot WMU team. Tyler’s pick: Western Michigan 40-27Matt’s pick:Western Michigan 38-31Akron @ Marshall (-14.5)Marshall will get a better test this week from Akron than they did in week 2. Akron was dominated by Wisconsin on Saturday. Thomas Woodson will be facing a tenacious Marshall defense. Chase Litton threw for 6 TD’s in only 16 attempts. Akron’s defense will get gashed this week and Marshall will be riding high into next week’s contest with Louisville. Tyler’s pick: Marshall 45-20Matt’s pick: Marshall 38-17

San Diego State (-10) @ Northern Illinois Northern Illinois faces a tough test hosting the Aztecs this weekend. Northern Illinois has been awful on defense, allowing nearly 600 yards of offense. SDSU has one of the best RB’s in the country in Donnel Pumphrey. NIU QB Drew Hare will need to play big in this game.

Tyler’s pick: SDSU 32-17Matt’s pick: SDSU 38-24Pittsburgh @ Oklahoma State (-6.5)Oklahoma State is looking for answers after the shocking loss to Central Michigan. The Cowboys better be ready for a solid Pitt team, fresh off a win over rival Penn State. Pitt’s defense will have its hands full with Mason Rudolph and the high powered Pokes offense. Oklahoma State on the other hand has to deal with James Connor and a prolific ground game for the Panthers. Oklahoma State will look for a reason to put last week behind them and get a big W here. Tyler’s pick: Pitt 35-30Matt’s pick: Oklahoma State 38-2711 Texas (-5.5) @ CalTexas heads out on the road for the first time this season, a place where Texas has struggled in recent years. This will be a big test for the Longhorns D who will face Davis Webb and an air raid offense. Webb has passed for close to 1,000 yards in two games! However the Cal D has been terrible and the Longhorns are clicking behind Shane Buechele and Swoopes. This will be a high scoring matchup with Texas pulling it out late. Tyler’s pick: Texas 45-24Matt’s pick: Texas 48-38

UCLA (-1.5) @ BYUEarly this season BYU has struggled with getting points on the board. BYU lost a heartbreaker on Saturday to rival Utah and now gets a shot at Pac-12 favorite UCLA. BYU needs Taysom Hill to be more of a game-changer that he was and Jamaal Williams is the key weapon for the offense. UCLA on the other hand has Josh Rosen and really good defense. This is going to be a slugfest and I’m leaning towards the Bruins.

Tyler’s pick: BYU 24-21Matt’s pick: UCLA 24-20USC @ 7 Stanford (-6)Stanford is fresh off of a bye week and welcomes the Trojans this weekend. Stanford has the best all-around playmaker in Christian McCaffrey and a stout defense once again. USC has struggled on offense early in the season. USC needs solid QB play if they are going to compete in this one. Stanford will be too much for the Trojans to handle.

Tyler’s pick: USC 22-21Matt’s pick: Stanford 31-1722 Oregon @ Nebraska (-3)Some people may be surprised to see Nebraska as a favorite in this one. Nebraska has improved on the defensive side of the ball at least in the first two contests. Nebraska won’t see an offense this fast all season. Dakota Prukop has been solid in his first two games and he has one of the best running backs in the country with Royce Freeman. Tommy Armstrong will have to play at his best if the Huskers want to hang with the Ducks. Oregon’s defense is still awful and that will be the key in this game. Tyler’s pick: Oregon 42-37Matt’s pick: Nebraska 41-38

25 Miami (-4) @ Appalachian StateMiami has yet to play a tough opponent and this will be a big task for the defense. Taylor Lamb and Marcus Cox are a solid duo for the Mountaineers. Brad Kaaya hasn’t looked particularly sharp in his first two games but Mark Walton has been a playmaker at RB. Plenty of people will remember App State taking Tennessee to OT in week 1 but I’m not going to overreact. I think Miami will be tested but get the job done on the road. Tyler’s pick: Appalachian State 32-30Matt’s pick: Miami 28-2412 Michigan State @ 18 Notre Dame (-7.5)Michigan State is fresh off a bye week and needed a break after the pitiful performance against Furman. Sparty still has one of the better defenses in the country but it will be tested against ND. DeShone Kizer is in top form and is the key in this contest. Kizer has to be able to find his receivers and be accurate. ND has issues on the defensive side which will make this game interesting. I am calling for an upset after the Spartans grind the game out on the ground.

Tyler’s pick: Notre Dame 27-20Matt’s pick: Michigan State 20-1717 Texas A&M @ Auburn (-4)Auburn’s offense found success against Arkansas State in week 2 after the debacle in week 1. The rushing attack was on full display and Kerryon Johnson has showed why coaches loved him in the offseason. The big story has been Auburn’s defense and the resurgence of dominant line play. A&M is off to a 2-0 start behind Trevor Knight and his great receivers. Myles Garrett and the Aggies defense have been playing with passion. This is going to be one of the better games of the weekend. Tyler’s pick: Texas A&M 30-20Matt’s pick: Auburn 34-273 Ohio State (-2) @ 14 OklahomaThis matchup features two of the best QB’s in the nation, J.T. Barrett and Baker Mayfield. Ohio State is averaging nearly 600 yards of total offense and OU is averaging just over 500 yards. Ohio State’s defense shut down a potent Tulsa offense, one similar to the OU offense. Oklahoma has to get a rushing attack going early to open up the passing game. Perine and Mixon will be the players to watch. If they have big games the Sooners will win. Ohio State is just too talented across the board and I think they get a big road win this week. Tyler’s pick: Ohio State 35-32Matt’s pick: Ohio State 45-31Alabama (-9) @ 19 Ole MissChad Kelly started the season hot in the first half against FSU but then things quickly fell apart. Kelly will look to extend the Rebels winning streak against Alabama to 3. Alabama’s defense has been smothering early in the season and looks like the best Crimson Tide defense under Saban. Jalen Hurts and ArDarius Stewart have been a solid connection. Alabama is a big favorite on the road and honestly I can’t blame Vegas on this one. Tyler’s pick: Alabama 32-20Matt’s pick: Alabama 38-242 Florida State (-2) @ 10 LouisvilleThis is going to be an electrifying matchup between two great offenses. Louisville is averaging 754 yards of offense behind Heisman candidate Lamar Jackson. Jackson has 13 total TD’s in 2 games and is one of the must watch players in CFB. Both teams have solid defenses and I would give a slight edge to the Noles. Deondre Francois has played well in his first two games and always has one of the best RB in CFB behind him, Dalvin Cook. Tyler’s pick: Louisville 27-24Matt’s pick: Florida State 31-30